"As usual a good many deaths, one had the back of his head off, another from the nose downwards completly gone..." -Reverend Walker
Plastic surgery
The trenches were used for protecting soldiers bodies from gunshots, but their heads were not so covered. Many soldiers were shot while peaking over trenches. Shrapnel was one of the leading causes for facial injuries. The shrapnel shards created by a bullet could rip of a soldiers face off. Dealing with such devastating injuries became a new challenge and risky, especially in a world before antibiotics.
Life after Surgery Despite surgery, soldiers often couldn't face going out on public. Some used masks to cover their facial scars and disfiguration. Hospitals took out mirrors so patients would not faint from looking at their reflection. Some soldiers would go years without seeing their reflection. Some men re-entered the work force, but often hid in backrooms. Others became withdraw from their everyday life, and distanced themselves from their wives, children and friends. |